Moving Day
by SG-LAB
Summary: A sequel to my fic A Hot Summer and a Cool Bath. Sylvie is a week from her due date. Her lease is up and she's ready to move in with Athos.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was still early when Sylvie got out of bed. The alarm was not due to go off for another couple of hours. She wanted a little time to herself before everyone was over to help her pack the rest of her things for the move to Athos' apartment.

It was a struggle getting up and not waking Athos. She was a week away from her due date and getting around was a challenge. Although Athos was probably used to her middle of the night bathroom visits that her getting up now didn't disturb him much anymore. At least there was a break in the recent heat wave.

She went to the bathroom first; something that was becoming too much of a habit. She patted her stomach lightly. It was worth it she supposed in the end. Scary, but worth it. Athos was just getting over his freak out. Not that he would ever admit he had been freaking out for the last nine months.

She walked into her little living room looking at the furniture she had cobbled together over the last few years. The couch she got from her dad just before he passed away. There were two chairs on either side of the couch that looked nearly identical, but Sylvie had obtained separately. One she discovered sitting on someone's yard with a sign saying 'you want it, you can have it'. The second chair was from a yard sale in another neighborhood.

Sylvie had reupholstered and painted both chairs with the same color fabric and paint.

She already had most of her small items boxed up. It was just a matter of delivery with them. The kitchen still needed going through. Most of the things she had would be going into storage. Athos actually liked her couch to her surprise and was happy to replace his with it. They had spent quite a few evenings making out or just cuddling on the piece of furniture. She could never bring herself to have sex on it though.

The couch needed reupholstering too. But that would be a job for some time after the baby was born.

She walked over to her little kitchenette to get a glass of water. She checked the time; it was a little over an hour before she expected Athos to get up.

She decided to get dressed. Entering her bathroom she looked mournfully at her bathtub. She was distracted by a kick from the baby. She smoothed her hand down her nightgown. She smiled holding her hands over the lower half of her distended belly as pregnant women were wont to do.

"Good morning."

Sylvie looked over surprised to see Athos leaning against the doorway. She felt ridiculously shy all of a sudden and her face heat up.

Athos pushed off the doorframe and took the few steps over to stand behind Sylvie. His arms came around her letting his hands rest just above her hands. He kissed her neck trailing more across her shoulder that was bare except for the thin strap of her nightgown.

"How about a bath one last time in this tub," he said.

Sylvie's eyes brightened and her smile grew.

She felt his hands come up and rest on her shoulders as he gently grasped the straps of her nightgown pulling them off her shoulders. He started kissing her again along her neck and shoulders as he successfully pulled down the gown letting it pool down at her feet.

He held her hand as she stepped over the gown kicking it out of the way.

"You should probably start the water," she said.

He stepped away and did as she said. She stood feeling a bit awkward naked in the middle of the bathroom. Then the baby kicked again.

"Sweetheart?" Athos stood looking concerned.

"Baby kicked," she said.

Athos walked over next to her resting his hand over her belly. The baby kicked again and Athos kissed her softly keeping his hand where it lay over her stomach.

"Are you ready to get into the tub?" He finally asked.

"As long as you join me and I get to strip you," she said.

He breathed out a light laugh that sounded like a happy puff of air. He smiled at her showing the wrinkles at the edges of his eyes that she loved so much. She took that as a yes and pulled off his t-shirt as he raised his arms and pushed down the sweat pants over his hips and let them slid down his legs where he stepped out of them.

He checked the water and turned off the flow once he was satisfied. She let him take her hands as she carefully stepped in and carefully sat down. He moved so he was behind her and his legs were stretched out along the outsides of her legs. She leaned back against him and relaxed letting him wash her.

Suddenly they heard a knock at the bathroom door. "Athos, Sylvie?" It was Aramis.

Athos swore noting the time on the clock. They had been in the tub longer than they had realized. "We'll be out in a few minutes," Athos said.

"Okay." They could hear the amusement in Aramis' voice in one single word.

Sylvie sighed; it was her last bath in this tub. It was the one luxury she indulged in moving into this flat. And after she and Athos started dating there were many lovely memories they had created with it.

"Ready?" Athos held out his hands to her.

She took a deep breath and nodded as she grasped his hands letting him help her out of the tub.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Sylvie was a little overwhelm by all the people who had come by to offer some help. They had been working on the apartment for a couple of hours and her back was beginning to hurt.

"Sylvie, you should rest," Mrs. Rastoil, an obstetrician who was Sylvie's neighbor came up to her.

Sylvie sighed. She hated to give in, but it was getting hard to be on her feet for long periods of time. Finally giving in, she sat down on her couch.

"Sylvie, what do you want to do with these chairs?" Porthos had her living room chairs moved in front of him.

"They go to Rochelle," she said of her young neighbor who was about to move out on her own. "Joubert is taking them to her apartment in his truck," she said of another tenant of her apartment.

"Here we are, Anabelle," Constance led Joubert's visually impaired wife to the couch to sit next to Sylvie.

"Sylvie, I thought I could help you go through your kitchen items," Anabelle said resting a box full of Sylvie's kitchen supplies on the floor between them.

"Thank you Anabelle," Sylvie squeezed the older woman's hand. At least this was something she could do sitting down.

"Is there anything I can bring to you to go through?" Constance asked.

"No, thank you Constance," Sylvie said. "I think I've gone through everything else. It's just a matter of carrying out the big things."

Constance nodded. Before she could say anything she noticed something across the room. "Oi, careful with that."

Sylvie turned to see what Constance was on about. A mover had nearly dropped a small table she had put next to the entrance of her door. It was built by her grandfather on her mother's side. It was wooden with beautifully carved detail.

"Thank you," she mouthed to Constance.

TM

Sylvie's neighbors had left. Everything in the living room and bedroom had been cleared out except for one of the chairs that were going to Rochelle and bed. The latter was stripped down and would be donated or sold.

Athos had gone back to his apartment with Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan following to make sure everything was moved in. Constance and Porthos' wife Elodie stayed with Sylvie.

A knock came to the flat's door. Constance got up from the floor and answered it. The apartment manager Leon stood outside looking around inside.

"Leon, I'll be out by the end of the day," Sylvie told him from her chair. She didn't have the energy to deal with him today. He made the tenants' lives difficult to say the least.

"I just came by to tell you I'm afraid I can't give you back your deposit," he said.

"What?" Sylvie pushed herself up out of the chair with a lot of struggle.

"You really haven't taken care of this place," he tutted leaning on the doorframe.

"You miserable," Sylvie began to walk towards the door only to be stopped by Elodie.

"He's not worth it," Elodie whispered.

Sylvie deflated. Her shoulders sagged slightly. "Fine."

Leon's parting smile made Sylvie's skin crawl.

Constance slammed the door shut.

"Thank you," Sylvie said to Constance.

"What for?" Constance asked.

"For slamming the door; it felt good even by proxy," Sylvie said laughing with the other two women.

Sylvie turned back to sit down only to be ceased by a great deal of pain. "Bloody hell."

"Sylvie?" The other two women asked at once.

"I think this baby is ready come," she said.

Elodie helped her sit down. "How many contractions and how long apart?"

"Just a few over the last few hours. About twenty minutes apart now," Sylvie looked sheepishly.

"You've been having contractions for the last few hours?" Constance looked disbelieving.

"I hadn't told Porthos I of my contractions right away either," Elodie admitted looking at the other two women with a shrug. "He just proposed to me; I hated to ruin the moment."

Sylvie looked on disbelieving before breaking out in laughter.

"Ow," Sylvie groaned.

"Sylvie, what's your plan?" Elodie asked.

"A home birth. Mrs Rastoil delivering."

"Really?" Constance asked. "How did you convince Athos of this?"

Sylvie laughed. "He's still not exactly on board. Oh and in a tub."

"I'll call Mrs. Rastoil," Elodie offered.

"I'll call Athos," Constance looked grimly at Sylvie.

TM

Mrs. Rastoil had taken charge the moment she entered the flat. Athos and d'Artagnan arrived about fifteen minutes later. Porthos and Aramis stayed behind to make sure everything was moved where it needed to go.

"How is she?" Athos asked the moment he walked through the door.

"She's fine," Constance assured him. She still has a ways to go yet. Mrs. Rastoil has her walking around a bit."

"Where is she?" Athos asked only to have his question answered as Sylvie came out of her bedroom supported by Elodie on one side of her and Mrs. Rastoil on the other side.

Athos walked up to her taking Elodie's place. "How are you doing sweetheart?"

"Hurts like hell," she said.

"The pain meds I gave you should kick in soon," Mrs. Rastoil said.

Athos rubbed Sylvie's back as they walked through the living room.

"That feels good," Sylvie leaned into Athos' side.

"Good," Athos kissed her temple.

TM

"You are out of your mind," Athos said mildly as he kneeled down next to the tub.

"I thought that's what attracted you to me," Sylvie grinned lying in a tub of water. It seemed she had one more opportunity to use her bathtub.

Athos shook his head and kissed her.

TM

The cry of a baby coming from the bathroom had the occupants of the living room standing up at once. Aramis and Porthos had returned a while ago. Porthos had Elodie and his one year old daughter, Marie with him from the babysitter.

Mrs. Rastoil exited the bathroom, a broad smile on her face. "A healthy little boy," she said. "Now the happy parents thank you all for being here, but ask if you wouldn't mind going home for now. You can come by their apartment tomorrow afternoon. They said they'd probably call you sometime before then."

The group of uncles and aunts reluctantly agreed and left for their homes.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was late afternoon the following day. Sylvie was resting in bed at Athos and her flat. She still hadn't quite wrapped her mind around the idea this was her flat too.

While they had the nursery all ready for the baby to move into, Sylvie wanted the crib set up in their bedroom for a little while. It made it easier for the late night feedings and at the moment moving was exhausting. She didn't even know how they made it back here after the birth. It was all a big haze.

"He's asleep," Athos entered the bedroom carrying his tablet.

"Which one is it?" Sylvie pushed up carefully to sit up in bed feeling very tender.

"All of them," Athos turned the tablet around to see their friends on skype.

"At least let take your tablet over to the crib so we can see him," Aramis' voice whispered from the tablet.

"I did that the last five times you called today," Athos said as he sat on the edge of the bed angling the tablet so he and Sylvie could both see the screen.

Of all of them Aramis couldn't get enough of seeing the newborn.

"Aramis!" Four voices rose up through the screen.

"Just one more time," Constance was sitting in front of her computer with Elodie next to her and the guys huddled around them from behind and along their sides. "The rest of us only had the one time."

"Fine," Athos huffed get up off the bed and carrying the tablet with him.

He stood next to the crib looking down at his son and smiled gently. Sylvie watched him from her spot on the bed enjoying the look on his face.

"Athos," Aramis' mostly restrained voice prodded Athos out of his musings.

"Awww!" Athos rolled his eyes hearing his friends oohing and awing over the baby.

Sylvie smiled even more. Their son was perfect. He had a smattering of hair. It was short and black. His skin was somewhere between the two of his parents. Athos said he had Sylvie's eyes and she said he had Athos' nose.

Little noises started to come from the crib and Sylvie knew he was beginning to wake up.

"Have you lot got your fill yet?" Athos asked and received five whispered 'yes's'.

Athos ended his skype session and put the tablet down.

"I need to feed him soon," Sylvie said.

Athos nodded crossing the room and sitting next to Sylvie on the bed.

Sylvie curled around Athos' side resting her head on his shoulder. "Think we're ready for this?"

"What parent ever is?" He asked.

She swatted his arm playfully. "That's not helping."

Athos cupped the side of Sylvie's face leaning in letting their foreheads touch. "You are going to be a wonderful mother."

"And you are going to be a wonderful father," she said. "Although we might not make parent of the year if we don't come up with a name."

Athos huffed out a laugh and kissed her on the lips. When they parted he said, "I have a few ideas."

Their son began to cry and that was Athos' cue to get up again and bring the baby over to Sylvie. She took him into her arms getting ready to feed him.

Athos sat back on the bed watching Sylvie as she fed their son.

The End


End file.
